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Backplanes backup 10 GbE

As networking demands speed toward and through 10 GbE, the electronics industry is busy making sure they have the products capable of handling these fast transmission rates. After years of work, the 802.3ap Ethernet Backplane Standard was approved earlier this year to specify how GbE and 10 GbE is transmitted up to 1 m over backplanes.

At the most recent Interop show in Las Vegas, connector companies Molex—using its I-Trac backplane connector system— and Tyco—with its Z-PACK TinMan backplane connector—successfully demonstrated a 10-Gbit/s data stream across a copper backplane. This is important because it shows that existing copper infrastructures are capable of handling ever-increasing speeds.

But, according to representatives from Molex and the Ethernet Alliance, there is another important development here: the ability to go from parallel 10 GbE (XAUI) to serial. “10GBASE-KR is trying to alleviate the backplane routing issue,” said Ethernet Alliance President Brad Booth. “Reducing the number of lanes on the backplane greatly alleviates the routing complexity associated with multi-lane interfaces.”

According to Booth, most companies currently adhere to the 10GBASE-KX4 standard, which uses four lanes running at 3.125 Gbits/s. But he believes there will be several systems available by late 2007 or early 2008.

But eyes and minds are already looking and thinking a bit further into the future. “There are efforts currently underway both within IEEE and OIF,” said Ryan Price, a product manager for Molex. “The IEEE High-Speed Study Group is working on defining 100 G, and as it stands currently there will be a copper objective. Of course, we are not talking 100G serial here, it will be some kind of parallel implementation.”